The holiday season can be a confusing time for university students. On the one hand, it’s a festive season of gift-giving, celebration, and watching Love Actually for the umpteenth time. On the other hand, the holidays coincide with an unbearably dense schedule packed with final essays and exams. For many of us, the timing is a bummer––unless you’re like third-year student Noah Freeman.
Freeman, a self-hating Math student and proud Jew, is “pretty jazzed” about his entire Hanukkah being consumed by exams. Says Freeman: “The best thing about having an exam during Hanukkah is that you don’t just get one day of exams, but EIGHT. WHOLE. DAYS.”
Jewish visibility on campus has become a greater priority in recent years. In a statement released by UofT, the university confirmed that it will “do its part in ensuring Jewish students have a sufficient workload to keep them busy during Hanukkah.” Meanwhile, marking a big step forward, the Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) has promised to allow Jewish students up to three designated “kosher days” upon presentation of a doctor’s note.
Freeman says he would feel “disturbed” if his school actually took the Jewish calendar into account. “I grew up having to miss school every year for the high holidays, it’s just how I was raised,” says Freeman. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Photo Credit: Joseph Strauss
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